Collaboration between the Philippine Department of Tourism/ Philippine Embassy and Hard Rock Café Tokyo/Tony Roma’s Roppongi

18 November 202120 November 2021 Ai Alamo

～Special Filipino Desserts for the Holiday Season～

Starts from November 6 to December 31, 2021

The Philippine Department of Tourism/ Philippine Embassy announced during the media launch held last November 4, 2021 the “Christmas Flavors of the Philippines at Hard Rock Café Tokyo and Tony Roma’s Roppongi”.

The toast was proposed by ASEAN-Japan Centre Secretary General Kunihiko Hirabayashi (third from left). From left: Cebu Pacific Country Manager Tomohiko Matsumoto, DOT Tourism Attache Niel Ballesteros, ASEAN-Japan Centre Secretary General Kunihiko Hirabayashi and , Philippine Embassy Chargé d‘Affaires Robespierre Bolivar

This campaign is in collaboration with the ASEAN-Japan Centre, Cebu Pacific, Hard Rock Café Tokyo and Tony Roma’s Roppongi as part of the celebration of the 65th year anniversary of the normalization of the diplomatic ties between Japan and the Philippines. With the aim of encouraging a virtual trip to the Philippines for Japanese and Filipinos in Japan through food, this campaign will feature three Filipino Christmas desserts that will be served at the two restaurants for the months of November and December 2021.

During the media launch, Philippine Embassy Chargé d‘Affaires Robespierre Bolivar expressed his gratitude that through this special collaboration, the Filipinos in Japan can share with our Japanese friends our two great loves – Christmas and food. He said, “We hope that, through food and our colorful yuletide traditions, we are able to promote in Japan a deeper appreciation of our rich cultural heritage and encourage all of you to further explore the Philippines and know the Filipino people more.”

During the proposal of the toast, ASEAN-Japan Centre Secretary General Kunihiko Hirabayashi mentioned the recent tourism programs on social media that introduced Filipino dishes and were supported by the agency. “I hope that through this campaign, many people will think of the beautiful beaches, towns, natural views and other fun tourist attractions of the Philippines as they enjoy Filipino Christmas desserts,” he added.

DOT Tourism Attache Niel Ballesteros talked about the “More Fun Awaits” Campaign”

Tourism Attache Niel Ballesteros talked about the DOT’s new campaign called “More Fun Awaits” that aims to strengthen the Philippines positioning as a top-of-mind destination in the global market once international leisure travel to the country resumes. He also mentioned that at the heart of the campaign are the stories about the tourism workers and advocates who have contributed to the recovery of the industry. “The campaign also aims to communicate that the Philippines prioritizes the safety and well-being of visitors as many of our tourism establishments are compliant with global safety standards set by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and a large percentage of our tourism workers are vaccinated,” he added.

Cebu Pacific Country Manager Tomohiko Matsumoto talked about updates on Cebu Pacific flights to Japan

Cebu Pacific country manager Tomohiko Matsumoto talked about his appreciation of the close partnership between the Philippine Embassy, the Department of Tourism and Cebu Pacific. He also mentioned that Cebu Pacific is now ready to welcome passengers as 100% of their crew are now vaccinated.

The media launch was hosted by DJ singer Maria Theresa Gow and Youtuber Fumiya.

The following are the special Filipino desserts that will be served during the campaign:

～Special Filipino Desserts for the Holiday Season～

**Salted Caramel Biko** is the Hard Rock Café twist on the Filipino traditional Biko, a cake dessert usually served in times of celebrations and other festivities. On top of the biko are bananas, vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce.

Coconut Ube Cake – Ube (purple yam) is used in the Philippines in making special sweets. Hard Rock Café used the popular ube to create this ube cake with coconut sauce, topped with ube ice cream and gold leaf to make it extra special in time for the Holiday seasons

Coconut Bibingka
Christmas will not be complete with bibingka. Tony Roma’s did a twist of this special dessert by additing ube ice cream ube ice cream, pistachio ice cream, roasted coconut and mango sauce. This is one of the most popular Christmas desserts in the Philippines.

～Chance to win a Cebu Pacific Airline

ROUND TRIP TICKET TO THE PHILIPPINES～

Step ①　

Follow the SNS accounts of DOT Japan and Hard Rock Café Tokyo/ Tony Roma’s Roppongi

DOT Japan （Instagram：@philippinetraveljp、Twitter：PhilTravelJP)

Hard Rock Café Tokyo （Instagram：@hrctokyo、Twitter：HRC_TYO)

Tony Roma Roppongi（Instagram：@tonyromas_japan)

Step ②

Post a picture of the Filipino desserts or any pictures of fun activities in the Philippines with hashtags #itsmorefuninthephilippines #moresmilesahead

Original “Its More Fun in the Philippines” gift items will be given to those who will post pictures of the desserts in Instagram or Twitter with hashtags #itsmorefuninthephilippines and #hardrockcafe/ #tonyromas